On Tuesday, Yao Ming underwent surgery to repair the hairline fracture in his left foot and another to realign the bones in the foot in an effort to prevent the recurrence of the injury that has ended his past two NBA seasons.

Team Physician Dr. Tom Clanton, assisted by Dr. Bill McGarvey at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute, used a bone graft in the tarsal navicular bone to help repair the fracture. The realignment of the bones in the foot flattened Yao?s arch to reduce the stress in the repaired bone.

?Everything went according to plan and we were able achieve not only fixation of the broken bone but also realignment of the bones to improve the stress pattern on his foot,? Clanton said. ?Yao is doing well and resting comfortably after these procedures. We expect him to be immobilized in a cast and using crutches for at least six to eight weeks.?

The Rockets did not provide any timetable for Yao?s return to basketball-oriented workouts or competition, other than he expected to participate in training camp in October 2010.